New focus, new principal help Curiale regroup

Updated 8:50 pm, Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bridgeport's Curiale School and three others that are part of the state's new Commissioner's Network have better climates and cultures than four months ago, but they still have significant work to do in the classroom.

That was the assessment from Debra Kurshan, chief turnaround officer for the state, who told the state Board of Education last week that what occurs in the classrooms of these schools -- among the worst-performing in the state -- remains a work in progress.

"In all (four) schools, there is need to focus more on rigor .... Now that schools have made significant changes to their culture and climate, they can focus more on instruction," she said.

Last year, the Legislature authorized extra resources for up to 25 schools to help improve student achievement. By beginning with the lowest-performing schools, the state hopes to start shrinking its academic achievement gap, which is the worst in the nation.

The gap occurs in comparing the academic performance of low-income students to their more affluent peers.

Four schools were eventually selected from those that applied to participate in the network: Curiale, Stanton School in Norwich, High School in the Community in New Haven, and Jumoke Academy at Milner in Hartford.

Curiale, a school of 743 students, has been the lowest-performing school in the district for the last eight years.

On benchmark tests taken last fall in math, 92 percent of the students scored below basic proficiency and only 1 percent was deemed proficient. No students met goals.

Each of the schools chosen for the network developed improvement plans. Curiale's plan involved partnering with the teachers' union, changing the principal, expanding the school day, and working with community organizations to provide services to families in the school.

By participating in the network, Curiale was promised about $1.3 million in extra funding from the state. District officials said Tuesday they have received most of that money, but have been asked not to use $180,000 of it.

They may have to give the money back to accommodate the governor's budget reductions. In addition, district officials said they are expecting an uncertain sum for capital improvements and equipment, including computers.

Sandra Kase, chief administrative officer for the district, said she was told that money would come from capital funds. The request for those funds has not yet reached the state bond agenda in February.

"Then we will see how much money is released," Kase said. "The commissioner has been trying to get on their agenda since September, and we are waiting."

In the meantime, the school's new principal, Brett Gustafson, and his assistant principal, Hermino Planas, won high praise in the six-month audit. So did the staff. All 89 staff members opted to remain at Curiale.

According to the state report, the school has been painted, staff has been trained in a "Positive Behavioral Intervention System" and there is now a consistent approach to student behavior.

As of December, 89 percent of the student population had no behavioral referrals. Of the 80 students who did have a behavioral referral, most were in the fourth and eighth grades, and most were referred for classroom disruptions. Statistics for last year were unavailable.

The school also hired instructional coaches, but according to state auditors, they were not being used as intended -- to help teachers customize their instruction to student learning styles. Instead, most coaches during the state visit were tutoring or co-teaching.

The state also found class sizes have shrunk to about 22 students, although that is not as small as the state would like for younger children. The state's goal is 20 students in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms.

In addition, time has been added to the beginning and end of the school day. However, the extra time is being used for homework rather than for enrichment, according to the audit.

Gustafson said Friday that since the Dec. 4-5 visit by the state, he has met with the instructional coaches and they are now working with teachers on instruction for 90 percent of the coaches' day. The other 10 percent is spent on the behavioral management program.

Instruction has improved, Gustafson said, with teachers having more materials and using lessons that are more engaging.

Likewise, Gustafson said it has taken longer to establish the school governance committee -- a group of parents, teachers and community members -- than he wanted, but it's finally on the right track.

"It is a work in progress, but the same could be said of every school in the country," Gustafson said.

Kase said she agreed with Gustafson's assessment.

"School change is a process. It doesn't happen overnight, but Curiale is well on its way," she said.

Kurshan said while all four network schools are working diligently, the evaluation process will help them determine quickly what is working and what is not.

An undetermined number of schools will be added to the network next year, state Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor said.

Windham, New Haven, Waterbury, Norwalk and Bridgeport have all expressed interest in the next round of additions. Bridgeport, which has nominated Dunbar School, promised to apply as a condition of receiving a $3.6 million budget bailout from the state in June.